Browsing Tag

Electro Pop

Kid of the Star System is in orbit again with her darkwave pop-rock-trap amalgam, Sleepwalking

Posted on 12 August 2023
Kid of the Star System

Kid of the Star System is back in orbit once again with her latest single, Sleepwalking, and we couldn’t be more stoked about the interstellar return of the London-based visionary who switches between dimensions and genres to deliver atmospherically electrifying sci-fi enhanced vignettes of our grittily dystopic times.

The trap beat in the intro quickly evolves into a hook-rife platform of darkwave electro-pop that Kid of the Star System uses to implant her domineeringly smooth vocal lines that carry the exhilarating seduction of the entire Deftones discography. You won’t be short on emotions to feel when listening to the gospel of Kid of the Star System’s ethereal space odyssey, which could rival a black hole in the darkness it contains.

With the sole aim of bringing as much fun and chaos to her music as possible, the genre-melding artist is one for the radar if you always look to music for inspiration and empowerment. Especially as her sophomore LP, Luminous, which promises to challenge her listeners and push them past their limitations, is on the periphery.

Check out Sleepwalking on Spotify when it drops.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Softmax connects through disjointed isolation in her Lynchian installation of electronica, Swishers

Posted on 9 August 2023
Softmax

Silence fell after the 2022 debut EP, But What If There Isn’t?, from the Chicago-native Softmax; in her time away from the airwaves, she honed her craft and primed herself for her latest single, Swishers.

Co-produced by Joel Ford, of How to Dress Well fame, and Berlin’s premier electronica producer, Gabriel Gifford, Swishers sets a dramatically Lynchian tone to create a dystopian synthpop backdrop for the portrayal of inwardly imploding isolation while everyone falsifies their lives online.

The sentiment is just as resonant as the score orchestrated to depict the agonisingly disjointing feelings. Clearly, Softmax has a talent for reflecting the rawest facets of the human experience back at us. The syncopated beats and oscillating synths paint a portrait of how it feels when black holes of alienation form as a fixture in the arrangement of your bedroom furniture.

In her own words: “It’s about wanting to connect with the world and understand people while feeling further and further from it,”

Swishers will hit the airwaves on August 9th as a courtesy of the London-based indie record label, Psychotic Reaction Music. Stream it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

ARO’s fierce femme aesthetic picked up luscious vehemence in her moody synth-pop single, Let Me Go

Posted on 28 July 2023
ARO

The LA-hailing singer-songwriter ARO singlehandedly defined the future of pop with her debut evocative synth masterpiece, Let Me Go.

With far more soul than your average earworm and her sonic signature scribing distinction through every succinct progression, this emotionally heated hit is the ultimate moody moving-on anthem.

By painting with light and dark tones, the process of coming into your own away from what no longer serves you was euphonically visualised in Let Me Go. With just as much lyrical depth as Mitski and Louise Dacus paired with an electro-pop score that cushions the blows of the sharp lyricism with lush reverb, it is only a matter of time before ARO is considered LA pop royalty.

“So much of my art is about giving the darker parts of myself a platform. There are these aspects of myself that cannot be tamed, and so instead of beating my head against a wall trying to control them I’ve found that my art allows me to be in relationship with them. When I write I’m not butting in to tell them how they should be, I’m not trying to get them to behave, or do better, or have a positive outlook, I’m just letting that part of me speak freely. And I learn a lot about myself through this process.”

Check out Let Me Go on all major streaming platforms from July 28, or hit ARO’s official website for more info.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

IZZYE has made her official debut with the house-pop earworm of the summer, LATELY

Posted on 16 July 2023

Still trying to discover your ultimate high-energy anthem of the summer? Gaze right into the debut earworm from the one-woman house-pop powerhouse IZZYE, and find the addictive choruses you’ve been searching for.

‘LATELY’ is IZZYE’s first official debut single after her single Dance Forever landed a placement in the Love Island 2023 Winter Final episode. With her powered-by-soul strident vocal lines easily dominating the infectiously high-octane hooks, the hit has ‘playlist staple’ branded across the glossy radio-ready production.

Not content with creating run-of-the-mill floor-filler fodder, IZZYE worked with her co-songwriter, Darren Martyn, to orchestrate a liberatingly empowering hit which goes to show that even when you have been cast aside by someone who pretended to be all-in, being bitter and scorned is never the only option.

Stream the official music video for LATELY, which premiered on June 7th via YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Misty Drinx went back to the golden era of pop via his debut space odyssey, Oh I Love That Song!

Posted on 3 July 2023

Knowing that there is no better feeling than falling head over ears for an infectiously funk-laden pop hit, the up-and-coming artist Misty Drinx brought about a brand-new era of electro-soul with the release of his debut single, Oh I Love That Song!

Going back to the golden era of pop via a space odyssey, the single sweeps you up in a nostalgic 80s atmosphere, constructed by the oscillating synth lines, polyphonic keys and swathes of reverb that aid the transcendent euphoria of Oh I Love That Song!

Lyrically, the single may pay an ode to the feeling of hearing a song and wishing you wrote it, but the sentiment will undoubtedly be the same from the moment you greet the melodious earworm. We’re already stoked to hear the sophomore hit from Drinx now he’s found his euphonic calling.

Check out the debut single from Misty Drinx on Spotify.

Keep up to date with future releases via Instagram.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The sandman chewed bubblegum (pop) in Delila’s third single, Sex Dreams

Posted on 29 June 2023

Not many pop hits can rival Marina and the Diamonds’ Primadonna and Icona Pop’s I Love It, but the NY-hailing pop icon-in-the-making Delila effortlessly matched the sticky-sweet floor-filling energy with her third single, Sex Dreams.

Sex Dreams, which hit the airwaves on June 28th, is a drastic change in tone from Delila’s previous releases, Mad World and Killerkiller; it is safe to say she’s come into her own with the sugar rush of a single, which was created in collaboration with the production team, Supperclub.

In stark contrast to the title, Sex Dreams is a romantically rapturous release which celebrates the strength of a connection that goes beyond the conscious and spills into the subconscious to litter dreams with wanton lust.

Building an infectiously electrifying pop hit around real emotion is more than what artists with decades of experience in the industry can achieve. The sincerity resonates through the vibrantly honeyed euphoria in Sex Dreams while the production gives Taylor Swift’s discography a run for its money.

Delila said:

“Sex Dreams is about an off-and-on long-distance relationship, which left us mostly communicating over the phone. After a long period of not speaking, I received a text asking me if I was manifesting them because they couldn’t stop thinking about me, and I was in all their dreams. I wrote the song to say, listen to yourself and be with me.”

Stream Sex Dreams on Spotify now.

Follow Delila on Instagram and TikTok.

Spotlight Feature: Ducktail’s fiery feat of anthemic electro-soul, Over, ft Kristal Oliver, Bursts with riotous, almost punk energy: try telling us this isn’t the debut of the year

Posted on 23 June 2023

With a Wall Street career in the rear-view mirror, the electro luminary in the making, Ducktail, ensured the world knew about his arrival in the Future Bass scene by dropping his debut single, Over. If it’s good enough for Pete Tong, the multi-layered leads driving through pop-hooked groove-pocketed basslines are worthy enough for your rhythmic pulses.

The New York-based artist and producer teamed up with the Grammy-nominated platinum artist Kristal Oliver, who exhilarated the release with her award-winning vocal lines before the anthem for a lost and now found cause was mixed and mastered by none other than Gosteffects.

Ducktail and Kristal Oliver converged to create an unreckonable force with this fiery feat of anthemic electro-soul. With choruses that burst with riotous, almost punk, energy and ever-ascending verses, which will leave you on a new spiritual plateau, just try telling me this isn’t the debut of the year.

As change is the only inevitability in life, Ducktail prepared us for it with Over, by illustrating that freedom to step into the infinite possibilities of the unknown is something that we should forego complacency and stagnation for.

“Over is all about following your passion and finding happiness along the way. Music has always been the greatest source of happiness in my life. So, in a way, Ducktail was created to repay the debt I felt I owed to something that’s given me so much. Lyrically, Over is a testament to pursuit and passion; it quells decisional regret, something we’ve all experienced.”

Over hit the airwaves today on June 23rd. Check it out on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Follow Ducktail on Instagram
Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud
Watch on YouTube

IORA – Nylon: Synthesised in Catharsis Indie Electro-Pop

Posted on 13 June 2023

Ahead of her performance at Glastonbury, the indie electro-pop sensation IORA debuted her latest slice of synthy candour, Nylon, on June 7th.

Using her imploringly rich vocals that practically effervesce with distinction to allude to the torment of being trapped between two opposing forces while the upbeat instrumentals allow the track to surge with oscillating energy, conflicting emotions are part and parcel of delving into Nylon.

But by the single reaches its synthesised in catharsis outro, you will be left with the affirmation that few artists are adept in sonically visualising their torment and portraying it as universally resonant aural gold. Someone hand her a Mercury Prize already.

Nylon is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spotlight Feature: Ducktail gave a lesson in inspirational exhilaration in his future bass debut, Over, ft Kristal Oliver

Posted on 2 June 2023
https://soundcloud.com/ducktailmusic/over/s-GjYt5XNuVOX?si=c3c6f4a5eec14e1f838d53d40193d6be&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

With a Wall Street career in the rear-view mirror, the electro luminary in the making, Ducktail, ensured the world knew about his arrival in the Future Bass scene by dropping his debut single, Over. If it’s good enough for Pete Tong, the multi-layered leads driving through pop-hooked groove-pocketed basslines are worthy enough for your rhythmic pulses.

The New York-based artist and producer teamed up with the Grammy-nominated platinum artist Kristal Oliver, who exhilarated the release with her award-winning vocal lines before the anthem for a lost and now found cause was mixed and mastered by none other than Gosteffects.

As change is the only thing that is certain in life, Ducktail prepared us all for it by lighting the green light to illuminate the way towards spiritual decision-making, which will lead you to the endless possibilities awaiting in the unknown.

Ducktail and Kristal Oliver converged to create an unreckonable force with this fiery feat of anthemic electro-soul. With choruses that burst with riotous, almost punk, energy and ever-ascending verses, which will leave you on a new spiritual plateau, just try telling me this isn’t the debut of the year.

“Over is all about following your passion and finding happiness along the way. Music has always been the biggest source of happiness for me. So, in a way, Ducktail was created to repay the debt I owed to music. I always strive to create something of inherent value and spread joy – even through the darkest times. Lyrically, Over is a testament to this notion; it quells decisional regret, something we’ve all experienced.”

Over will hit the airwaves on June 2nd. Check it out on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Hell hath no fury like YME scorned in her moody alt-electro pop hit, ENEMY

Posted on 8 May 2023

If you like your electro-pop dark, moody, and Avant-Garde, YME’s latest vindicating artful earworm, ENEMY, is a viciously hooked hit that will reel you in hook, line and scintillating sinker.

Never one to mince her lyrics, the Netherlands-based songstress who exudes the experimental spirituality of Bjork and a sense of conviction that leaves her in a hell hath no fury league of her own, is in the habit of cutting right to the core of vulnerable emotion and proving just how much power resides within the protagonists who wear their hearts on their sleeves. All too often, abusers mistake their ability to beat people down as a sign of strength; YME dispels that insipid myth with her highly originated demure style and candour.

ENEMY is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast